May 22, 2012

BUK Bombing: A Southerner Confesses He Was Involved In The Attack

Augustine Effiong, 25, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, who is popularly known as Abubakar Garba said on Monday that he helped carry out deadly attacks on April 29 at church services in the old campus of the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and admitted belonging to the extremist group, Boko Haram in his confession to police.

The Scene of the BUK blast that killed about 20 people including two professors

The State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris who disclosed this in a press statement made available to reporters said that, Mr Effiong had confessed to be one of those behind the attack on Christian worshipers at BUK.

Mr Effiong, though an indigene of Akwa Ibom was born and brought up at Maiduguri before he later converted to Islam. The police said, “he has been transferred to Abuja for discreet investigations”.

The command said Mr Effiong was arrested over an attempt to murder a civilian at Danlasan Village in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano state.

During the preliminary investigation, the suspect, a resident of Bulunkutu Abuja Quarters in Maiduguri confessed to have relocated to the Kano state last April.

“He confessed to have participated in a series of attacks, killing of policemen and military personnel in the state (Kano), including the recent attack and killings in Bayero University Kano (BUK),” the police said.

Attackers with bombs and guns opened fire at church services at BUK last month and killed about 20 people including two professors as worshippers tried to flee.

“I was involved in the attack at BUK,” he told reporters in Hausa.

He further confessed to being part of a “20-man killer squad” charged with targeting the security services around Kano.

Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted the security services in Kano and has claimed attacks that have killed more than 1,000 people since mid-2009.

“I killed many people, including five soldiers at checkpoints,” in Kano, Mr Effiong said.